pay as you go

Speakout Wireless no catches, unlimited but slow 3G data for $10/month, no voice plan required is my conclusion after a month. Slow means under a 1Megabit sometimes  64 kilobits! But more than good enough to run GPS and do maps and geotag photos. Recommended if you are cheap :-) and want pay as you go data! Or just want a second phone with data and don't require voice! Only tested with a Nokia N8 with Nokia Maps and Pixelpipe but other folks have got it working on Android and iPhone. (see my previous speakout post for setup details).

[UPDATE: detailed internet settings for Nokia N8 on Speakout Wireless]

Speakout Wireless pay as you go unlimited data for $10/month works for A-GPS & uploading photos to flickr on my N8 via WAP and it works beautifully. Full N8 setup details forthcoming! Setup Summary for the impatient: Nokia N8 auto configuration for WAP works; just copy the WAP access point to the Internet group and setup Application settings | Positioning to use the WAP access point for the positioning server. Haven't tested email and any other apps but I don't care :-)

There may be gotchas but it doesn't appear to require a voice value plan or any voice plan! I'll also post in a month or two to confirm whether there is any fine print to trip up on! But for now appears to be a cheap and cheerful pay as you go unlimited data plan!

(via a comment on my blog about Fido Data)

Tired of not having A-GPS on my N8 and considering Speakout Wireless's $10 a month pay as you go data ("unlimited" 56 KB/s 3G browsing on a Rogers MVNO). Does it work OK on an N8? Anybody know?

Details have yet to be finalized, but it looks like I'll be going to a Nokia Mobile workshop (paid for by Nokia, including carbon offsets!) September 10-14,2008 being organzied by Nokia's WOMWorld folks. Sounds like fun. Maybe I can lead a session on Mobile Muse and SIFTTool.

Here's a portion of their invite:

QUOTE

It's taking place in September between the 11th and 14th, and will be the first of its kind hosted by Nokia. We're contacting everyone from creative's, designers, video producers to open source software bloggers and mobile tech pioneers. There will be a number of workshops that'll see discussion with participants, and with Nokia guys, about the future of different online arenas and mobile technology. Workshops that we hope you'd like to join in with and make yourself heard.

END QUOTE

In the meantime, time to start my travel research. If anybody has been to Helsinki, love to have the following questions answered by a Helsinki person:

1. Where can I get a pay as you go SIM Card with several gigs (2GB or higher) of data so I can blog, flickr, youtube, et with my Nokia N95-1 while at the workshop?
2. Can somebody recommend the best place to rent a bicycle in Helsinki? I am a "born again" bicyclist who's been commuting to work for 16 months 5 days a week and who has taken thousands of photos from an N95 and uploaded to Qik while bicycling. So I'd want to do the same in Helsinki.